Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle refrigeration cycle device that includes a compressor, an interior condenser, a first expansion valve, a second expansion valve, an exterior heat exchanger, an interior evaporator, and an accumulator.
The compressor draws, compresses, and discharges a refrigerant. Refrigerant oil for lubricating the compressor is mixed into the refrigerant, and part of the refrigerant oil circulates within the cycle together with the refrigerant.
The interior condenser is a heat radiator that dissipates heat from a high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor, thereby heating air that has passed through the interior evaporator to be blown into the vehicle interior.
The first expansion valve exhibits a decompression function of the refrigerant in an air-heating mode, a dehumidification-heating mode, and the like. The second expansion valve exhibits a decompression function of the refrigerant in an air-cooling mode, a dehumidification-heating mode, and the like.
The exterior heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air. In the air-heating mode or the like, the exterior heat exchanger functions as an evaporator that demonstrates a heat absorption function by evaporating the refrigerant. In the air-cooling mode or the like, the exterior heat exchanger acts as a heat radiator that dissipates heat from the refrigerant.
The interior evaporator is an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant circulating therethrough by exchanging heat with air before passing through the interior condenser to be blown into the vehicle interior, in the air-cooling mode, the dehumidification-heating mode, and the like. In this way, the interior evaporator exhibits the heat absorption function to cool the air, which is to be blown into the vehicle interior.
The accumulator is a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant flowing into its inside, into gas and liquid phases to store therein an excess refrigerant within the cycle. A gas-phase refrigerant outlet of the accumulator is connected to a suction port side of the compressor. Thus, the accumulator serves to suppress the drawing of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the compressor and prevent liquid compression by the compressor.
In the related art, the accumulator is disposed on a refrigerant outlet side of the interior evaporator and a refrigerant suction side of the compressor.
Patent Document 2 describes a vehicle refrigeration cycle device that includes a chiller, a cooler core, and a coolant pump.
The chiller is a heat exchanger that cools a coolant by exchanging heat between the coolant and the low-pressure side refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. The cooler core is a heat exchanger that cools and dehumidifies air to be blown into the vehicle interior by exchanging heat between the coolant cooled by the chiller and air to be blown into the vehicle interior. The coolant pump draws and discharges the coolant circulating between the chiller and the cooler core.
The vehicle refrigeration cycle device described in Patent Document 2 also includes a heater core and a radiator. The heater core is a heat exchanger that heats the air that has passed through the cooler core to be blown into the vehicle interior, by using the high-pressure side refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle as a heat source. The radiator is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the coolant cooled by the chiller and the outside air.
The coolant cooled by the low-pressure side refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle absorbs heat from the outside air in the radiator and also absorbs heat from the air, which is to be blown into the vehicle interior, in the cooler core. The air having its heat absorbed in the cooler core is heated by the heater core using the high-pressure side refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle as a heat source so that the dehumidification and heating can be performed.